“On Feb. 13, 2003, a few weeks before the invasion, I was working as a cameraman for a network news bureau in Kuwait. Our fixer told us that his cousin, a florist, planned to donate 10,000 flowers to children’s charities for the youngsters to give to American soldiers to show gratitude for saving them from Saddam. It was a perfect scene: friendly Arabs, cute kids, our brave men about to go into battle. We pitched the story to our bosses in New York. The boys at the morning show loved it — light and happy, a Valentine’s Day bonbon that could still pretend to be a serious look at the impending war. The next morning, we drove to the flower shop and soon realized that we had been duped. No children’s charities were involved; the florist had just mobilized his relatives’ kids. Had we not agreed to film, he probably would have called the whole thing off. But we didn’t care. We had promised New York this story.” (10/06/08)